Anger Becomes Her
by Guardian Angel
Summary: Well, ok, not really a romance, but didn't really know what else to classify it as. More like angst...my take on Max's thoughts as she's in the shower during "Out." Spoilers.


Anger Becomes Her

By Guardian Angel (eyes_only1@yahoo.com)

Rating: R (for language and a few, uh, sexual thoughts…)

Spoilers: "Out" (mud/towel scene in the beginning)

Disclaimer:I don't own 'em.

Author's notes:This is in answer to an informal challenge I got from a friend of mine, who wanted me to do a little piece on Max's thoughts during this scene in "Out."I hope I can do it justice!Jen, this is for you, my big sis! :-) *hugs* 

Also, sorry guys, but this hasn't been beta'd yet…so I apologize for any glaring grammar/spelling mistakes (spelling has never been my strong point…), and let me know if you see anything major. :-)I'm just a little too eager to post this…and keep in mind, this was written in about a half hour! ;-)

***

As she stormed into the Logan's spacious bathroom, Max fumed.

The ride back from the airstrip had been silent; Logan had obviously taken her warning to heart and had not uttered one word until they had reached his penthouse.Then, he'd merely gestured towards the shower and suggested that she clean up a bit in that infuriatingly calm, mild-mannered voice of his.

Still angry over the events of the night, Max glanced at herself in the mirror.Her face, like the rest of her body, was liberally streaked with cold, slimy mud, and she stank with it.The fire in her eyes did not bode well for Logan as she aggressively stripped herself of her clothes, tossing them in a wet heap on the floor.

As she turned on the shower, setting the water for blisteringly hot, she was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"What?"She didn't bother to hide the hostility in her voice.If he valued his skin at all, he'd leave her alone.

His voice was slightly muffled through the door, but not so much that she couldn't understand him."If you want to leave your clothes right outside the door here, I'll wash them for you while you shower.I'll be in the computer room, just pile them out here whenever you're ready."

Her enhanced hearing picked up the soft sound of him wheeling away, leaving her alone again.With a frustrated groan, she quickly wrapped herself up in a towel, and scooping up her soiled clothes, dumped them outside the door in an unceremonious heap._Let him deal with them, it's his damn fault they're dirty in the first place._Her thoughts were uncharitable as she turned back to the shower, discarding the towel on the floor as she stepped under the hot spray.

"Wall-eyed, pig-headed, rankle-assed imbecile, just who the hell does he think he is?"__Using some of the more colorful oaths she'd picked up over the years from her pal Original Cindy, Max continued to mutter angrily to herself as she stood under the spray, allowing the furious beat of the water to work some of the tension out of her shoulders and neck. "Stupid son of a bitch let me go through all of the work to prepare that dinner, trying to make it special to say thanks for all he does for me…for Christ's sake, I was attempting to *cook* for the man!And then he goes and pulls something like this, expecting me to just drop everything and haul ass out to bust the bad guys.As if I don't do enough of that shit on a regular basis.As if *he* doesn't do enough of that crap on a regular basis." 

Finally, with the worst of the mud washed off and her body feeling slightly more relaxed, Max picked up the bar of soap from the small ceramic dish.The thin chunk appeared to be well-used, it was over half gone already, and as she began to lather the soap over her body, the familiar scent of Logan hit her.The fragrance was light and citrus-y, nothing heavy and cloying._So this is what that fragrance is, it's not cologne like I was thinking._Unbidden, an image of him entered her mind.With perfect clarity, she could picture him sitting there on the little bench that had been installed after his accident, allowing him to shower unaided, and rubbing the soap all over his body…*all* over his body.

As a slight tremor ran through her at the mental image, she shoved it away, using her anger to rid the thought from her mind.With a disgruntled sigh, she returned to her rant, though this time keeping the words inside her head instead of mumbling them aloud.

_What, like that just *had* to be done tonight?Hell, like it just *had* to be done right that minute?If he was so hell bent on it, I coulda swung it after we finished eating, there was no reason for us to go rushing out there that very second.But no, heaven forbid Logan Cale actually put his own little crusade on hold for a few hours and have some fun for once._

_ _

"Bastard."She scrubbed her soapy hands over her face before shoving her head under the spray of water, dislodging the last stubborn traces of mud.After making sure her hair was completely saturated, she picked up a bottle of shampoo, taking a moment to read the label before squirting a large amount into her hand._Pantene Pro-V, balanced for normal hair._She couldn't stop the small snicker that slipped past her lips, somehow she hadn't pictured Logan using what she'd always considered to be a woman's shampoo._Explains why his hair always looks so silky soft…_With a smirk still on her face, she lathered up her hair and stuck her head under the nozzle again to rinse.

Her amusing thoughts didn't distract her for long, and as she distributed conditioner through her tangled hair her mind leaped back to its original path._I'm sick of this, obviously he doesn't really care about me.All he cares about is his damn mission, saving the world from itself, protecting the downtrodden, blah blah, woof woof.Bite me._She groaned in frustration as an unwanted image of Logan nibbling gently on her neck popped into her head."Fuck."_Stop it girl, he just did a damn good job of proving where his loyalties really lie.I'm just his legs, remember? _She ran her hands through her hair, fisting them in the slick strands as she scrunched her eyes shut and allowed the fury to build, washing the pain and hurt away in the tide of anger.

As she snapped off the water and dried herself with a large, fluffy towel, her eyes shot sparks._No one treats me like a commodity and gets away with it._Standing naked in front of the mirror, she searched through the drawers until she found a comb.As she yanked it through her hair, unknotting the silky strands, she examined her body, trying to be objective.Her legs were long and shapely with muscle, her belly was flat, her breasts high and full.Her eyes were wide and deep, and if she thought her lips were a tad too full, oh well, plenty of men had professed to love their down-pillow look._If he's too damn blind to see what's right in front of his fucking nose, well then, it's his own problem, not mine._She honestly had no clue what type of relationship she wanted from Logan, but still, the thought that he had been more interested in chasing down baddies than in spending an evening with her, one that she had actually gone through the trouble to plan, set fire to her blood and made her head pound.She didn't know what she had been offering earlier that evening, but if he didn't have the sense to take it while it was offered, well then, he didn't deserve her, now did he?

_Not a chance.Screw him, and screw his high-minded ideals.I'm out._

_ _

That last thought rung in her head as she wrapped the towel tightly around her body, tucking the end between her breasts to secure her makeshift garment.Flinging open the door, she strode out with confident strides, ready to lay down the law and tell him how it was going to be.

***

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